Various types of rock pickers are known in the agricultural industry. The function of a rock picker is to sweep rocks lying at or near the surface of the earth into a hopper or other suitable receptacle so that the rocks may be removed from the earth prior to the commencement of tillage operations.
A rock picker must be robust with sufficient strength and inertia or relative immobility of parts to direct rocks of substantial size into the hopper. On the other hand, it must be recognized that from time to time the rock picker will encounter rocks or other obstacles that are too large to be picked up. In such a case, it is important that the working parts permit an accommodation of such obstacles without damage to the rock picker itself.
The general trend in rock picker design has been to increase size and strength of parts while maintaining relative rigidity. This design approach has increased the cost of rock pickers and likewise has increased the size of the repair bill when the rock picker ultimately is damaged by a rock or other obstacle too big to be handled.